Make It Right (5 page)

Chapter 5

D
ESPITE THE
HEAT
blasting from the vents, the cold air in Max’s truck clung to her bare legs and seeped through her thin exercise pants, but all Lea could think about was Trish’s voice, so broken.
They hurt him, Lea. Bad.

Because that flashed her back to another time, years ago, when she and Nick were rushed to the hospital. When her leg went from normal to broken.

When the sight of Nick’s honey-blond hair resting on the white hospital pillow sent her heart plummeting into her stomach.

Because she hadn’t protected him.

Max kept his eyes on the road, right hand on top of the steering wheel, the other arm propped on his door, fingers rubbing his chin.

He must have felt her eyes on him, because he glanced over quickly. His brows furrowed and he reached behind him into the cluttered cab. He pulled out a blanket and placed it on her lap. “Uh,” he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. “Sorry that blanket’s kinda dirty, but you’re . . . you know . . . not wearing much. So hopefully that helps.”

She glanced down at the blanket, a sweatshirt material bearing Bowler University’s logo. Crumpled, dried leaves clung to the fabric and some patches held cakes of dried mud, but she wrapped it around her legs, thankful for the extra layer because the cold was no friend to her left leg.

“Thanks,” she said, wishing she could ease the chill in her bones. Although she knew it wasn’t only from the cold, but the thought of Nick, battered and bruised.

She wanted to punch something.

He’d left the library early because she encouraged him to do so rather than work the rest of his shift and wait for his girlfriend. What if she’d just kept quiet? Would he have been at the wrong place at the wrong time? Or would he and Trish both be in the hospital as patients right now? She clenched her fists in the blanket that smelled so strongly of Max.

They pulled into the drive of the hospital and Max drove right to the front doors.

“You can’t park here.” Lea said, peering out the window.

He leaned back in his seat. “I know, I’m dropping you off.”

“You don’t have to do that.” Although, the ache in her leg was killing her now, the result of not stretching properly after her workout, then sitting in a cold, cramped car.

“I know, but now you can get in there and find out where he is while I park. I’ll meet you in there, okay?”

“I can get a ride back with Trish or something . . .”

He shook his head and nodded toward the door, his voice soft but firm. “Lea, please get out of the car. I’ll be in as soon as I can, and I’ll take you home.”

This was weird, the way he looked at her. The bright lights of the hospital shone into the depths of his dark eyes.

Earlier today, she wanted to deck him, and in the last hour, he’d allowed her to lean on him, physically and emotionally. He’d provided a much-needed ride and even noticed she was cold and offered a blanket, for God’s sakes.

None of that aligned with the brash, cocky flirt he usually appeared to be. She wondered which was the act, but she thought she knew. And when her mind was clear and not on Nick, she’d examine it further.

She realized she’d been sitting there, silently, staring at him as he stared back at her. “Um, okay,” she mumbled, awkwardly trying to fold the blanket, which was stupid because it was dirty and it’s previous home was in a heap in the back of the cab. She swiped her bangs out of her eyes and wrenched open the truck door. “See you inside.”

Max nodded, and she lowered herself out of the truck, then slammed it behind her. He didn’t pull away until she was past the security guard and inside the hospital.

Once inside, she texted Trish, asking if Nick had been admitted yet. Trish texted back the room number and Lea asked directions from the help desk before sinking into a stiff hospital chair in the lobby to wait for Max.

She didn’t have to wait long. Max walked into the lobby with purpose, his cheeks red from the cold, his chest rising and falling rapidly so Lea got the impression he ran from the parking lot. Or at least jogged.

He spotted her and walked over, hands on his hips. “You know where he is?”

“Room 428.”

He made to walk to the help desk, but Lea placed a hand on his arm. “I already asked, we just have to take the North Tower elevators over there to the fourth floor.”

“Good job, doll.” He guided her forward with just two fingers on her lower back. And why did those three words, said in an approving tone, make her feel warmer than that stupid blanket? Since when did she care at all about what Max thought of her?

Since he was there for you
, a voice in her head whispered, but she ignored that, too. Another item on her mental checklist to analyze later in private.

They were the only two on the elevator. Max leaned back, bracing himself with spread arms on the silver bar, legs spread, eyes on the digital numbers over the doors in front of them. He was a picture of placid while Lea’s insides stormed. She tried to be inconspicuous as she leaned a little into his arm, the warmth of it like a comforting brand across her back.

When the elevator doors opened on the fourth floor, those fingers were back, barely there, just a brush of heat through her thin jacket.

They made their way down the hall to 428 and when they reached the room, Max’s fingers were gone.

He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m just gonna hang out here on the bench in the hallway. Take all the time you need.”

She glanced at her watch. It was 8:30, so visiting hours were over in about a half hour. “You sure that’s not too late for you?”

He sank onto the bench and stretched out his legs, eyes falling closed like he planned to settle in and be there a while. “Nope.”

She bit her lip, eyes on those thick arms crossed over his chest. They’d been around her less than a half hour ago, holding her together when she threatened to crack apart.

One dark eye opened. “You going to stare at me or go see your cousin?”

She jolted. “Um, I’m heading in.”

He closed his eyes again.

Not that she didn’t like staring at Max, but she was also stalling, not too excited to head into the room and see her injured cousin.

But she’d promised Trish she’d come. So she took a deep breath and placed her hand on the door.

“Hey,” a deep voice came from behind her.

She turned around.

Both Max’s eyes were open now. “Just . . . uh . . . don’t fawn over him too much, ya know? Visit with him, and tell him to get rest and heal fast and all of that, all right? Don’t coddle him and make him feel weak.”

As if she didn’t know what it was like to be in a hospital bed. As if she hadn’t been surrounded by coddling and fawning.

But it hadn’t made her feel weak. It’d made her feel loved and cared for.

She churned Max’s words around inside her head, twisting and pulling at them until the meaning between the words seeped out.

Max’s jaw was tense, his neck and shoulders tight in a challenge. But his face still held a hint of vulnerability, like he hadn’t meant to blurt that out.

Even though she didn’t agree with what he said, she could tell he’d told her from a place of concern. About Nick and herself. He thought he was right.

She forced the annoyance down and said softly, “There’s nothing wrong with showing him how much I care. How worried I am.”

Max’s arms were crossed over his chest, and his fisted hands clenched. “He’s a guy and—”

“Max,” she kept her tone low and nonthreatening. “He’s my cousin, so I know him. And no matter how hurt he is, he knows he’s a strong person. Nothing I say in there will change that.”

Max’s lips parted slightly and his tongue peeked out to run along the bottom of his front teeth. Once. Twice. And then he mumbled something under his breath.

“What?” Lea asked.

He exhaled roughly and ran a hand over his short hair. “I said, he’s lucky to have you.” Max said, his voice deeper than she ever heard it. Then a small smile curled his lips. “As his cousin.”

And crap if that dam holding back her tears didn’t crack just a little. Because there was still more to Max’s words and no matter which angle she looked at them, she couldn’t figure it all out.

“Thank you,” she said, returning his smile.

Before her, his vulnerability faded. Max flexed his arms and then rolled his shoulders, the muscles shifting as he put his armor back into place.

“No problem.” He closed his eyes again and leaned his head on the back of the bench.

She turned back around and walked inside.

Lea’s eyes swept the room, first landing on Trish in a chair and then taking in Nick lying on the hospital bed, thin white sheet pulled up to his chest.

His nose was swollen and his eyes had that red, puffy look that would surely turn into righteous shiners overnight. The clear, kind blue of his eyes was watery and the whites bloodshot. His right arm was in a cast and Lea thought she saw a bandage around his ribs. His blond hair was a mess, sticking up every which way.

He smiled weakly and Lea wanted to cry. Instead, she said, “If you make a ‘you should see the other guy’ joke, I might hit you again.”

He croaked a laugh and then winced. “Don’t do that, my ribs hurt. No laughing.” He tried to glare, but the puffiness didn’t help and he looked so sad, Lea’s heart cracked.

Trish sniffled and Nick tried to awkwardly pat her hand with the palm of his cast. It was heart wrenching to watch the injured care for his loved one and Lea slowly started to understand a little of what her parents went through.

“Hey Trish, if you’re spending the night, you want to go get something to eat before the cafeteria closes?” Lea asked.

Trish looked up and Lea could see in her eyes, she was about to say no, so Lea urged softly. “Go on, you should eat.”

She looked at her boyfriend and he waved her toward the door, so she rose stiffly. “Thanks so much for coming.” Trish hugged her. “Be back in a jiffy.” She waved to Nick and then walked out.

Lea sank down in Trish’s vacated chair. “So I’m going to cut to the chase. What the hell happened?”

Nick sank his head back onto the pillows. “I don’t even know. The cops already visited and asked me tons of questions. I was outside my apartment, which has shitty lighting, you know that. And there was a shove from behind. I landed on my face and that’s when the blows started. I mean, fists and feet and . . .” He shuddered.

Lea squeezed her thigh, the bad one, and gritted her teeth against the pain. It was the only thing that kept her from screaming with rage.

“Anyway,” he continued. “They ripped my book bag off of my back and that’s when I pushed myself up with my good arm and fucking ran like hell.” His eyes widened as much as he could make them and his voice roughened. “Lea, I was scared shitless. I had no idea if they were going to . . . I don’t know . . . kill me or whatever. But I guess they just wanted my wallet and my laptop. Which they got.”

“Crap, I’m so sorry, Nick.”

He shrugged, then winced again. “I never thought I’d be one of ’em.”

Lea shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

Nick cocked his head, his eyebrows pulled down over his swollen eyes. “Haven’t you seen the campus papers?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Yeah, this is like a thing. These guys go around and rob people and beat them up. No one knows why they assault. I mean, they didn’t say anything when they were kicking the shit out of me. Maybe they just . . . like it? Because they are sickos? I don’t know.”

Lea blinked rapidly, unable to wrap her head around how this was the first she heard of this. “How many times has this happened?”

Nick looked at his hands and twitched his fingers like he was counting. “I think I’m the third. The first one was a townie. Second was a college student. And now, with me, the police are starting to take it seriously.”

“Did you get a good look at them?” Lea asked.

He grinned crookedly. “Well, Detective Travers . . .”

She laughed. “Shut up.”

“I didn’t actually. Well, they wore black masks and all black clothes.”

Lea slumped in her seat. “Well fuck a duck.”

“The cops asked a lot of questions, and they said this is taking priority now.”

She patted his casted hand. “I hope so.”

They talked a little about the library and a totally weird love note Lea found tucked in one of the books while waiting for Nick’s girlfriend.

Lea wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Trish walked back into the room, a coffee cup clutched in her hands. Her hair was smoother, her face clean of tears. Clearly, she had needed the break to pull herself together.

“People always say negative stuff about cafeteria food, but I just had a really awesome hot turkey sandwich,” Trish said, smiling.

Nick chuckled in a gasping way and Lea smiled. “Well, I need to head out because my ride needs to get home, so . . .”

“Is that your ride out in the hallway?” Trish asked.

Crap, Lea had hoped to get away before anyone asked about him. “Um . . .”

“Isn’t that Max Payton? Alec’s roommate?”

Nick rustled the covers and if her boyfriend hadn’t just gotten beaten up, Trish would have been on the receiving end of some Lea death glares.

“Max Payton? What the hell is he doing giving you a ride to the hospital?” Nick asked, anger evident in his tone.

Max really needed to work on his reputation. Lea turned to Nick. “I was in the gym when Trish called. I was upset and Max offered to drive me. Honestly, it was really nice of him, so I don’t want to hear it.”

Nick’s facial expression was hard to read past the swelling, but his eyes blinked, like he was trying to figure her out.

Why she felt the need to defend Max was a mystery to her. “How long will you be here?”

“Probably only until tomorrow. They are worried about some swelling in my brain or something and want to monitor me.”

Lea scowled. “Well, get tons of rest and I’ll bring you some guilty-pleasure food when you get discharged. Maybe a dirty magazine or two.”

“Thanks for stopping by, Lea.” Nick shifted his eyes to Trish, and Lea knew he was worried about her.